Ribbon inking and re-inking device



Dec. 26, 1961 E. H. METCALF RIB'BON INKING AND RE-INKING DEVICE Filed. Feb. 9, 1959 VMN INVENTOR EARL H. METCALF AT TOR N EYS.

United Smtes Patent 3,014,452 RIBBON INKING AND RE-INKING DEVICE Earl H. Metcalf, 15 Main St, Bloomingdale, NJ. Filed Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 791,970 3 Claims. (Cl. 118-33) The present invention relates to an inking or re-inking device for printing ribbons for use on business machines and aims to provide certain improvements in such device.

It is well-known that an inked ribbon on a business machine, after a period of use, loses its effectiveness due to the transfer of the ink from said ribbon onto paper by the type of the machine. When this occurs it is customary to discard the ribbon and replace it with a ribbon, notwithstanding that the ribbon fabric has been subjected to comparatively little wear. Such replacements are costly. To cope with this problem it has been proposed to equip business machines with ribbon re-inking devices which function to supply ink to the ribbon as it is progressively payed off by one spool and/or wound up on a second spool during use of the machine. However, such proposed re-inking devices have not proven acceptable, for one reason or another, to either the business machine manufacturers or to the users of such machines.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for inking and preferably re-inking ribbons for business machines after such ribbons have ceased to provide acceptable legible imprints from the machine type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, unique and efficient device with which such ink-deficient ribbons may be revitalized or un-inked ribbons impregnated with ink.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth with which business machine ribbons of any type may be quickly re-inked and restored repeatedly to use until the ribbon fabric has become too worn for further use.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of the invention are accomplished will be understood from the detailed description which follows when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a. front elevation of a ribbon inking and re-inking device embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially along the plane of the line 33 of FIG, 2 and FIG. 4 is a section taken substantially along the plane of the line 4-4 on FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the device comprises a base on which is mounted a standard 11 having a plurality of parallel, axially spaced shafts 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, a U-shaped bracket 17 and securing screws or pins 18, 19, 20 and 21.

The base 10 is of generally rectangular form and has its sides chamfered or beveled as shown at 10a.

The standard 11 is of substantially flat inverted U- shaped form and is secured to the base 10 in any desired manner.

The shaft 12 extends through the standard, is adapted to rotatably support an inked ribbon spool 23 of a conventional type, and is rotatable by a crank or handle 22. To provide for rotation of the spool 23 it may be clamped onto the shaft 12 between a collar 24 thereon and a clamping nut 25 removably screw threadedly engaging one end of said shaft. The shaft 13 is fixed and adapted to support rotatably thereon a second inked ribbon spool 23a.

3,014,452 Patented Dec. 26, 1361 ice The shaft 14 has a pair of axially spaced collars 26 and 26a thereon which provide guide means for a ribbon which is to be inked or re-inked.

The shaft 15 supports pivotally thereon a U-shaped yoke or stirrup 27 adjacent the cross piece thereof and each arm of the yoke adjacent the free end thereof is formed with a slot 28 for rotatably supporting trunnions 29 on an inking roller 30. In view of the mounting relation of the roller 30 to the shaft 15, it will be evident that the weight of the roller will cause the yoke to move downwardly about its pivoted shaft. For manually tilting the yoke to raise the roller the cross piece of the yoke is formed with a knob 31. To control the extent of downward tilting of the yoke 27 there is provided an angle piece 32 having in one arm thereof an elongate slot 33 through which extend the screws 19 and 20 for adjusting the height of the angle piece and its engage.- ment with one arm of the U-shaped yoke 27.

Mounted on the shaft 16 is a braking means 34, consisting of an arm 34a secured at one end to a U-shaped finger piece 35, the free end of the arm 34a being urged upwardly by a helical spring 34b connected at one end to the finger piece 35 and at its other end to the pin 21.

The U-shaped bracket 17 may be secured to the standard in any suitable manner and is adapted tosupport an ink container or reservoir 36 into which the inking roller 30 is immersible. A11 angular member 37 is pivotally carried by the screw 18, one branch 37a of said member serving as a cover for the reservoir 36 While the other branch and one arm 32a of the angle piece 32 serve to position the reservoir on the bracket 17.

With a quantity of suitable ink in the reservoir and the inking roller 30 supported by the yoke 27 in properly immersed relation in the ink, should it be desired to ink a clean ribbon or to re-ink an ink deficient or used business machine ribbon 38 wound on a spool 23a, such spool is mounted on the shaft 13 with the braking arm 34a in contact with the periphery of the wound up ribbon; the ribbon is then guided under the shaft 14 between the collars 26 and 26a, then threaded through the yoke 27 over the top of the inking roller 30 and then secured or anchored to the hub of an empty ribbon spool 23 mounted on the shaft 12. As the spool 23 is rotated by the crank 22 to wind the ribbon 38 on said spool, the ribbon is drawn over and in contact with the peripheral surface of the inking roller 30 which is rotated thereby by virtue of the tension on the ribbon provided by the spring actuated brake, and said roller thus applies to the ribbon the correct amount of ink necessary for the proper inking or re-inking of the ribbon.

When the ribbon is completely payed off from the spool 23a it may be disconnected therefrom and is prevented from dipping into the reservoir by the cover member 37a.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be appreciated that I have provided a simple device for inking or re-inking business machine ribbons and although I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts disclosed may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a standard having mounted thereon a plurality of axially spaced parallel horizontal shafts, two of said shafts constituting a pair of shafts, each shaft of said pair being adapted to removably support a ribbon spool, means associated with one shaft of said pair of shafts for rotating a spool when mounted thereon, braking means mounted on another of the parallel shafts for applying tension to the withdrawal of the ribbon from a spool when mounted on the other shaft of the pair of parallel shafts, another of the shafts being disposed intermediate said pair of shafts and pivotally supporting a yoke which in turn supports an inking roller on an axis parallel to the yoke shaft, said inking roller being disposed so that its weight will cause it to move the yoke downwardly in relation to the pivotal axis thereof, an ink reservoir within which the inking roller is immersed and means for guiding a ribbon over the inking roller to move in contact with the surface thereof and rotate the roller as such ribbon is Wound up on a spool when mounted on one of said pair of shafts and is payed off from a spool mounted on the other of said pair of shafts,

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein adjustable means are provided for varying the downward tilting of the yoke to control the depth to which the inking roller will dip into the ink reservoir.

3. A device of the character described comprising a standard having mounted thereon a plurality of axially spaced parallel horizontal shafts, each of a pair of said shafts being adapted to removably support a ribbon spool, a yoke pivotally mounted on another of said parallel shafts and rotatably supporting an inking roller mounted on an axis parallel to said shaft, means for guiding a ribbon in frictional engagement over the peripheral surface of the inking roller to rotate it as the ribbon is payed off from a spool mounted on one of said pair of shafts and wound up on a spool mounted on the other of said pair of shafts and an ink reservoir into which the inking roller is immersed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,856 Simpson Apr. 16, 1918 1,358,083 Lasker Nov. 9, 1920 1,929,192 Taylor Oct. 3, 1933 1,967,709 Gabrielson July 24, 1934 2,646,770 Kemp July 28, 1953 

